Chapter one###
The loud screeching noises echoed far away. An unknown masked figure dashed through the woods, leaping forward, carefully avoiding any broken branches. The forest, like a labyrinth, was
treacherous and easy to lose one's way in.
"Catch him, he must not survive!" the group leader shouted as they pursued the figure.
Another voice cried out, "Call for backup! We have a dangerous one on our hands!"
Sounds of panting filled the air. "Catch him before he reaches that cave!" another shouted.
"Attack now!"
Arrows whizzed through the air as they targeted the figure. The smell of gunpowder filled the atmosphere and shot toward the masked man. Like prey fleeing its predator, he fell to the ground, struck by an arrow. As the air cleared, a smile crept across the predators' faces.
"We caught a big one today! Victory!" they chanted, grinning broadly.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Suddenly, a bomb was thrown into the air, enough to distract but not to kill. As the smoke cleared, their prey had vanished.
"Who did this?" the leader spat, fury etched on his face. "How dare they!" another shouted.
Suddenly, they noticed one of their members was missing.
"Where is her Royal Dame?" the leader shouted, his anger reaching its zenith. "Sir, that man must have kidnapped her while we were distracted," another spoke in her defense.
"Search every nook and cranny. Do not rest until we find her. And when you do, interrogate her.If she is in league with our enemy, do not hesitate to bring her to me for a punishment worse than death!" the leader commanded.
"But sir—"
"Silence! That is my final judgment!"
***
The missing figure they sought was now running into the woods with the masked man. "Let's go into the cave; we will be safe there," Lyraina urged, grabbing the masked figure's arm and pulling him toward the looming cave entrance.
They entered the cave, and she sighed in relief. "Now how do I go back home?" Lyraina huffed,contemplating the consequences of her actions.
The cave entrance yawned before them, a gaping mouth in the cliff face. Daylight bled into inky blackness as they went deeper into the cave, sending shivers down Lyraina's spine. A damp,
earthy smell clung to the air, and the silence was broken only by the dripping of unseen water.
The cave was eerily quiet; their breathing was audible, and the water droplets echoed, almost creepily, like a horror play. They were in the middle of nowhere, in a cave that was far from welcoming.
"Will you not remove the arrow from your back?" she asked worriedly. He glanced at the arrow on his back, his eyebrows furrowed as he saw the royal crest encrypted on the arrow. He knew
well where that crest was from—his own family was trying to kill him again.
The masked figure in front of her removed it with ease, and she gasped in shock.
She observed his features. He had the bearing of a nobleman. His grey mask clung carefully to the sides of his face, emphasizing his well-modeled, chiseled jawline.
She paused, staring into his golden irises. They looked almost unreal, ethereal, too beautiful.She badly wanted to remove his mask, but that would be inappropriate. Her perverted thoughts ran wild.
His long black wavy hair, with braided strands framing his face, made her almost certain he was handsome.
She silently prayed for a mere accident where his mask might 'mistakenly' fall or, better still,break. Her mouth drooled at the sight of his bare chest, his thin clothing exposed a bit of skin on his upper chest.
Clearing her throat to dispel her perverted thoughts, she asked, "What level of demon are you? That arrow is purified with holy water, strong enough to paralyze an average demon."
Lyraina's question was met with silence from the masked figure. His eyes reflected an unspeakable anger.
"Oh, I understand you cannot speak, so I will assume you cannot write either. Just nod if you want to reply, and if you have a question for me, try to demonstrate," Lyraina said with a smile.
Was she dumb?
What royal wouldn't know how to write?
'Such a fine young man cannot speak,' she thought, feeling pity for him.
He did not respond, simply ignoring her and walking deeper into the cave, settling down for a nap without a second glance.
Lyraina, exasperated, shouted, "At least have the decency to reply when someone talks to you!"She stomped her foot in frustration.
"Remember I cannot speak?" he said, leaving her astonished.
He glanced up, staring at her. Her wavy red hair cascaded over her shoulders, her emerald eyes wild and untamed.
He looked at her again; her emerald eyes wanting to be tamed were beautiful, like nature had crafted them. Her pointed nose was so cute that anyone would want to tweak it. Those lips of hers, shaped in a Cupid's bow, curved into a pout.
Oh my, how heavenly she looked.
If he didn't know better, an average person might have fallen for her immediately, but he was no average person and he knew how humans worked; they would lure you into deceit, use you,and then discard you. How could she be any different?
He needed to engage in a conversation with her to see if she was a spy. 'Talk, Draven!' his inner mind spoke. 'Be nice!' he reminded himself yet again. 'you need information,she might be working with your enemies,it could be a trap ' his instincts reminded him again.
He wondered why this strange woman kept nagging him. She must want something or be acting brave. He opened his lips to speak, but what started as a word turned into a sentence.
"I would rather die there rather than beg for a life I did not ask for….
She blinked twice,gasping in pure horror. Not only was he obnoxious but also rude and ungrateful.
"Oh my! Never in all my years have I met a man this rude and shameless!" she shouted, her face turning red with anger.
The masked man uncrossed his arms, stood abruptly, and walked towards her with daunting steps, towering over her.
"What are you doing now?" she huffed in anger.
Bending down to her height, he whispered in her ear, "Tell me, dear maiden, who is more shameless? The man being dragged or the woman who willingly drags a devil with nothing but thin clothes?"
Her eyes locked onto his golden irises as the realization hit her. She was trapped in an unknown cave with a man.
A man! For crying out loud, if word got out she would be tagged as a disgraceful lady, She was lost for words at her actions. What had she been thinking?
'Draven think of a flirty statement,what was the famous line brother often used?'he thought hard.
"Are you so lost in my eyes that you cannot think of anything but me?" he said with a smirk,though it was hidden by his mask.
He almost cringed at his own words,never in his life did he think he would be this ridiculous.Thankfully his brothers acts of flirting around him with women finally paid off.
Her face reddened. She stepped back, pushing him away. His eyebrows squinted.
'it seemed being flirty was going nowhere'
"Do not worry; you are definitely not my type as I am only interested in beautiful women," he said with another smirk.
If —provoking her would get her into spitting out the truth,then he would do it over and over again.
Lyraina looked at him in shock.
'Does he mean to say I am ugly?' she thought, her anger rising.
"How dare you! You clearly have bad taste in women. You are not only dense but also blind!" Lyraina said loudly. Another smirk curved his lips.
"Are you not afraid of being stuck here with a high-ranked demon?...You do know demons increase their powers by consuming humans, especially holy warriors?" Draven questioned.
"So? I do not smell any human blood on you. It does not seem like you have killed any humans,"Lyraina said nonchalantly.
'So naive!' Draven thought. "You could be my first. How does that sound? Nice, isn't it?"
"My father is a knight. You better not eat me, or he will hunt for your head," Lyraina retorted.
"For an holy warrior,you talk too much"
She scoffed. "I beg to differ. Why did you allow those so-called lowly humans to attack you and keep running?"
He didn't respond to her,he hardly said a word and when he did,it wasn't more than a few lines.
"You did not kill any humans. It is unfair that they want to kill you," Lyra responded.
He paused, taken aback by her words. His eyes scanned her face for any deceit but found none.
"You must be insane," Draven said finally.
He could only come up with one explanation for her behavior.
His theory:
- She is not afraid of him.
- She engages with him normally and is outspoken.
-She does not act irritated.
- She is definitely… insane.
This was so strange to him, this was the first time he engaged in a normal conversation with a person and who knew he was so talkative.
"You keep getting on my nerves every second. What rank are you? Why do you act so mighty?"
Lyraina asked, irritated.
He gave no response.
"Answer! What rank are you? How could you be a high rank without devouring humans? What is your secret?"
The peaceful scene shattered. A dark shape emerged from the shadows, its voice booming through the stillness.
"Lyraina, get away! That's – a DESTROYER!"
Her eyes widened in horror. She spun around, searching for the source of the warning, but there was nothing.
The figure was gone, vanished like a wisp of smoke.
All that remained was a chilling message scrawled on the ground, glowing faintly before fading away completely. It read: "I will return to haunt you in your dreams."
She very well knew what that meant.